Bag handle fastener



Nov. 10, 1959 D. 1. REITER 2,912,029

BAG HANDLE FASTENER Filed April 15, 1958 INV E NTOR Daniel Reifer ATTORNEYS United States Patent BAG HANDLE FASTENER Daniel I. Reiter, New York, N.Y. Application April 15, 1958, Serial No. 728,611

1 Claim. (01. 150-12 This invention relates to a bag handle fastener or the like and more particularly to a connector for fastening the flexible strap of a handbag to the frame. While the invention is shown and described with reference to a'lad ys handbag construction, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the principles of the invention are applicable to other types of articles.

Women-s handbags assume many dilferent shapes and forms, but a very common type comprises a frame to which flexible or rigid material is attached. Such handbags normally open at the top, the frame having similar pivotally connected sections provided with a catch for maintaining the frame in its closed position. Usually the handbag has a strap or handle that is attached at its ends tothe-frame at spaced positions on theupper side thereof. The attachment is constituted by some form of fastener or connector.

Prior to the present invention it has been conventional to attach the strap to the frame by forming an integral loop at each end of the strap, the loop receiving some form of movable ring, such as a common U-ring, which also passes through a fixed ring or tube attached to the upper portion of the frame. Such prior constructions have a serious disadvantage in that a substantial amount of wear is concentrated at the areas of engagement of the U-ring with the strap loop, and after a period of use, the material of the strap at the loop becomes defaced, damaged, torn, or even broken. The problem is made more acute by the introduction of simulated leather strap materials which do not have the wearing qualities of genuine leather or even of heavy plastic. In order to alleviate the foregoing condition somewhat where the rings attached to the straps are of generally U-shaped configuration with opposed free ends, it has been the usual practice to insert the bight of the ring in the loop and to insert the opposed ends in the tube attached to the frame, so that the loopof the strap will be presented with the relatively smooth continuous surface of the ring bight rather than the sharp edges of the ends.

Since in the industry the handbag frames are frequently manufactured separately from the straps and bag sidewall materials, and evenby different concerns, it is necessary for the manufacturer of the final bag to assemble the handle with the frame. In such mass production operations it is desirable that the U-rings or the like be attached to the frame prior to the time that the frame is sent to the concern which assembles the strap and the frame. Otherwise, it is necessaryto provide rings in loose form which may be attached improperly.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a unique and improved fastener or connector for joining the strap or handle of a handbag or the like to the frame thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the foregoing type which permits the use of weaker strap materials than used heretofore without risking defacement, tearing, or breakage of the strap material due to the stresses exerted on the material by the connector.

Patented Nov. 10, 1959 ice Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a device which eliminates wear on the strap material which normally occurs at the junction with the frame.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a unique device of the-foregoing type in which the movable ring is provided as part of the frame unit, so that it is only necessary to attach the ring to the strap in order to assemble the strap and frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel method of forming a strap connector or fastener and of assembling the fastener with the frame and strap.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advan tages of the invention and the exact manner in which they are accomplished and provided will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred and exemplary forms of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the relation of" the parts of the invention prior to complete assembly;

Figure 2 is a similar View illustrating the relation of the parts after assembly;

Figure 3 is a pl'anview ofasub-assembly of the invention illustrating the manner in which the same is formed;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the same sub-assembly shown in a later stage of formation; and

Figure 5 is aperspective view of a common prior art construction.

Briefly stated, the invention in a typical form comprises a bearing sleeve received within an integral end loop of the handbag strap and which in turn receives the free opposed ends of a movable ring having a bight portion held captive within a second sleeve aflixed to the handbag frame. The invention is also concerned with the manner in whichthese parts are formed and assembled.

With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the application of the invention to a handbag having a frame 10. It will be apparent that the frame may assume many diflerent conventional forms, and in the common form shown the frame has two parts (only the corner portion of one part being shown) each having an upper portion 12 and side legs 14, the corresponding side legs being pivotally connected so that in its closed position the frame has its upper portions 12 in juxtaposed relation. The frame 10 is to be attached to a strap 16, only one end of which is shown. The strap is normally attached to the frame at spaced locations on one of the upper portions 12 adjacent the respective side legs 14. The strap is commonly formed of leather or plastic, but the invention has special usage with cheaper but weaker strap materials, such as paper material simulating leather. As shown, the strap may be stitched along its edges and is formed with an integral loop 18 at each of its ends, the loop being constituted by folding back the strap upon itself and stitching together the adjacent laminations.

In accordance with the invention, the loop 18 at each end of the strap is provided with a sleeve or tube 20, which may be formed of a suitable bearing material such as brass and which is received within the loop 18.. The diameter of thesl'eeve 20 is preferably correlated with the size of the loop so thatthe'sleevewill be held snugly when inserted within the loop. The frame 10, which is preferably metal, is provided with another sleeve or tube 22 which mayhave a small pedestal 24 so that the sleeve 22 may be attached to the upper surface of frame part 12 in elevated slightly spaced relation thereto, as by weld 25. In the form shown, the pedestal 24 is attached to the sleeve 22 asymmetrically, that is, closer to one end of the sleeve, so that the sleeve may be oriented to overlie the mating adjacent frame part (not shown) when the frame is in its closed position. As Will become apparent, this permits the strap 16 to be located symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handbag.

The sleeve 22 receives therein and holds captive a movable ring generally designated 26, which in the form shown is of generally U-shaped configuration, having a bight portion 28, which passes through the sleeve 22, and substantially parallel legs 30 with opposed free end portions 32, which in the form shown are spaced apart and are in approximate alignment, although slightly canted. The ring leg and bight cross-section is preferably uniformly circular and is of lesser diameter than the diameter of the sleeves 20 and 22 to permit relative pivotal movement between these parts. The ring and the sleeve 22 may be formed of a suitable material similar to the material of sleeve 20, such as brass.

With the foregoing construction, in order to join the strap 16 to the frame it is only necessary to insert the opposed ends 32 of the ring into the respective ends of the sleeve 20 associated with the strap 16. If the legs 30 are substantially parallel, as shown in Figure 1, they must first be sprung outwardly with a suitable tool, such as a plier, and when the space between the opposed leg ends has been made suflicient to accommodate the sleeve 20, the opposed leg ends are aligned with the sleeve 20, and the ring is then returned to its former condition by forcing the legs 30 together. The strap is now assembled with the frame, and the parts will assume the positions illustrated in Figure 2.

With the parts thus assembled (a similar assembly procedure having been followed at the other end of the strap) relative movement is permitted between the strap and the frame, but there is no possibility of damage to the strap as the result of such movement and the stresses exerted on the strap, because the direct bearing load on the strap is assumed by the bearing sleeve 20, and the load is distributed uniformly across the strap end by this sleeve. Any wear which occurs because of the rubbing of the ends 32 of the ring on the interior surfaces of the sleeve 20 is of no consequence.

This construction is to be contrasted with the common prior art construction illustrated in Figure 5. In this figure the strap, which has been designated 40, has a loop 42 which receives the bight of a ring 44. Such a construction will result in considerable wear of the strap material at the loop, particularly along the edges of the strap, since the tension in the strap is usually not uniform across the width of the strap and since the strap is normally subjected to lateral and torsional forces as well as longitudinal forces. Such wear occurs notwithstanding the factthat the bight 46 of the ring 44 is inserted within the loop 42, rather than the opposed ends 48. If the ends 48 were inserted within the loop, the damage would be even greater.

With the prior art construction of Figure 5, assembly 3 of the strap 40 with the frame (not shown) is accomplished by inserting the free ends 48 of the ring 44 within a sleeve atfixed to the frame and which may be generally similar to the sleeve 22 shown in Figures 1 and 2. Thus, it is not possible to pre-assemble the ring 44 with the frame. Instead, the ring must be provided as a separate element which is inserted through the loop 42 just prior to assembly with the frame. The construction of the present invention, on the other hand, ensures proper assembly of the ring and frame by permitting the frame manufacturer to assemble the ring 26 with the frame prior to the time that the frame is provided for assembly with the strap 16 and the handbag material. This preassembly is preferably performed as further set forth with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

In Figure 3 the sleeve 22 is formed from a blank of flat strip material having opposed, aligned projections 24a and 24b extending in opposite directions from its longitudinal edges. To form the sleeve the ring 26 is laid on the blank with its bight 28 substantially along the longitudinal axis of the blank, and the blank is then rolled over the bight 28 until the projections 24a and 24b meet. Continued rolling of the blank, which brings the longitudinal edgesof the blank into juxtaposed relation, causes the projections 24a and 24b to bend away from the major surface of the blank, and when the projections are in face to face relation as shown in Figure 4, they constitute the pedestal 24. If the blank is formed of a malleable material such as brass, the blank will acquire a permanent set in the shape of the sleeve illustrated. The formation of this sleeve renders the ring 26 captive as shown, eliminating the necessity for inserting the ring in the finished sleeve. The assembled ring and sleeve unit may then be welded to the frame and the assembly of the strap and frame completed as previously described.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of the invention that the invention provides a simple yet highly effective bag fastener. While preferred forms been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made in these forms without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claim. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are to be considered illustrative, rather than restrictive of the invention, and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are to be included therein.

I claim:

Means for attaching the end of a flexible handle to the metallic frame of a handbag comprising a metallic tube attached to the frame by a weld, said tube having its axis disposed substantially normal to the plane of the frame, a generally U-shaped ring held captive within said metallic tube by having the bight thereof disposed within said tube, the leg portions of said U-shaped ring having spaced free ends extending toward each other and in substantial alignment, said flexible handle having an integral loop formed at the end thereof, and a metallic sleeve disposed Within said loop and forming a bearing for distributing the pressure on said loop, the free ends of said U-shaped ring being adapted to be disposed within the opposite ends of said sleeve and forced toward each other to unite the handle ends with the handbag frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,504 Cissna May 8, 1866 907,046 Hart Dec. 15, 1908 1,028,203 Fuller June 4, 1912 1,596,561 Tueckmantel Aug. 17, 1926 1,824,027 Lundquist Sept. 22, 1931 2,115,369 Marinsky Apr. 26, 1938 2,302,599 Burney Nov. 17, 1942 2,577,855 Moehler Dec. 11, 1951 2,648,114 Holtz et al Aug. 11, 1953 

